Cultural Anthropology Exam Study Guide free essay sample

Lucy- a Australopithecus fossil, found in Ethiopia Lewis Henry Morgan- supporter of evolutionism/uni-lineal evolution, came up with the hierarchy of cultures (savagery, barbarism, civilization) * Napoleon Chagnon- studied the Yanamamo, was banned from the villages by the governments and Catholic church for misrepresenting the people * Carol Stack- studied â€Å"fictive kin† in African American communities. Nisa- a member of the ! Kung San peoples of the Kalahari desert, studied by Marjorie Shostak * Karl Marx- supported conflict theory, which says societies are held together by power/strife * Julian Steward- developed the concept and method of cultural ecology (the study of human adaptations to social and physical environments) * Marjorie Shostak- wrote about the ! Kung San people from the Kalahari desert (! Nisa) * Leslie White-said the most important aspect of human culture is the use of symbolic systemsCulture- a people’s total way of life that is learned within the culture and shared within the society * Artifacts- objects made or altered by human hands Cultural consultant/key informants- choosing someone in the community to work with and get connections from (someone who is respected and in the know) * Naturalized concepts- deeply embedded ideas about how the world should operate, are viewed as normal and natural Cultural models- * Fieldwork- the hallmark of the discipline, anthropologists try to establish a rapport, have to follow the AAA code of ethics * Ethnography- the documentation of a single culture * Ethnology- comparative study of cultures Physical/biological anthropology- one of the 4 subfields of anthropology, the study of humans as biological beings, includes primatologists, paleoanthropologists, and forensic anthropologists * Archaeology- one of the 4 subfields of anthropology, the study of human remains of past cultures * Linguistics- one of the 4 subfields of anthropology, the history and structure of language and its social aspects * Ethno-linguistics- study the relationship between a language and its culture * Socio-linguistics- study how context and status impact language and its usage (nonverbal communication and silent language) * Cultural knowledge- knowledge about prevailing social norms, practices, beliefs, and values in a culture * Participant observation- going into a culture and experiencing it through emic eyes * Emic- seeing the culture as a member of that culture * Etic- scientific and objective study of a society and its practices * Ethnocentrism- judging another based on one’s own cultural standards and views (ex. We will write a custom essay sample on Cultural Anthropology Exam Study Guide or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Gross, nasty) * Cultural relativism- understanding cultural traits from within the context of the culture * Cultural ecology- is the study of human adaptations to social and physical environments * Cultural universals- common human features (food, family, education, beauty, etc. ) * Attributes- the size, color, shape, purpose, material, etc of an artifact * 3p’s- * Power- ability to get what you want over the objections of others * Prestige- your social honor/reputation, ex. honorifics * Property- material wealth and other resources, ex. Cows or money * Anthropological theories- a framework to generate hypotheses that explain various aspects of the culture. Empiricism- challenged evolutionism, direct observation and objective description are important for understanding culture * 4. Functionalism/structural functionalism- Says societies are giant physical organisms held together by cultural traits * 5. Conflict theory- Says societies are held together by power/strife (the haves vs. the have-nots) * Eco-facts- remains of plants and animals that can be found near living sites * Heterogeneous culture- members have few shared traits * Homogeneous culture- members have many shared traits * AAA (American Anthropological Association)- governs fieldwork, anthropologists must: * Respect subjects, both human and animal * Respect the environment Respect the discipline Get informed consent * Transparency- let people know what your goal is * Just compensation * First do no harm * Culture shock- all the feelings one has when exposed to a new environment (culture) * Enculturation- Learning one’s culture from infancy or while growing up in the culture * Socialization- learning how to fit in your culture, it is a lifelong process since culture constantly changes * Life shock- Sudden unexpected experience; Can lead to fainting, hysteria, and puking * Field techniques- includes participant observation, interviews (formal and informal), and life history * Field anthropology- anthropologists who do fieldwork Applied anthropology- refers to the application of the method and theory of anthropology to the analysis and solution of practical problems * Rapport- a harmonious relationship with the people you are studying * Life histories- getting someone’s life story to understand them better * Polyphony of voices- getting many opinions and stories when doing fieldwork * Cultural symbols- Things that represent ideas and concepts to people in a culture * Cultural consensus- getting an accurate description of what really happens in a culture from many people in that culture * Taboo- behaviors or actions that are prohibited in a culture * Components of culture: cognitive (what we think), behavioral (what we do), and material (our artifacts)